Week 7: “Parables of the Hypocrite” USING THIS SERMON DISCUSSION GUIDE Ø This Sermon Discussion Guide is only a tool to aid you in meeting the needs of your group. For most groups, there are too many questions to answer in one session together. After considering the needs of your group, you may choose one of the following options: s one section of questions s one or two questions from each section Ø Feel free to adapt the format to meet the needs of your group. If your group is mature and wants to dig deeper, add Scripture and ask suitable questions. Remember that this is only a guide. Ø Personal application is key to everyone’s growth and should be included in every discussion. When asked how he or she intends to apply a certain principle a group member may say, “I need to spend more time in the Bible and in prayer.” It is important for you to help group members make applications that are more specific and commit to a specific plan of action by asking, for example, “How are you going to begin?” An example is to get up 30 minutes earlier each morning, spending 15 minutes reading the Bible and 10 minutes in prayer. Encourage each group member to be accountable to the group for personal progress at the next meeting. Ø As the leader your goal is to help bring the group into a stimulating discussion that helps the members recognize their need for personal life change. Ultimately you want them to be willing to commit to change with accountability to the group. Accountability helps us to persevere in our commitments and achieve the blessings of success. tfh.org
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INTRODUCTION Everybody is a hypocrite. The biblical meaning implies "taking the stage and wearing a mask." Our mask might be little, or partial, but we all change who we are a bit around certain people. Yet, the number one quality we want in a relationship is authenticity. So, how do we reconcile any hypocrisy in our lives? This week, we discuss how to walk in integrity, knowing that His grace is more than sufficient for us. Key Scripture [Luke 18:9-­‐14] Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness yet looked down on everyone else: 10
“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” tfh.org
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[Amos 5:21] “I hate all your show and pretense and the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.” [1 Timothy 1:5] The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. (Authentic faith = free of hypocrisy) [1 Peter 2] So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. [1 Peter 5:5] In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” How to Cultivate Humility 1. Give up privileges & rights in order to serve! tfh.org
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[Philippians 2:5-­‐9] You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a servant and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names. 2. Pursue accountability and invite correction [James 5:16] (amp) Make this your common practice: Confess your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. 3. Recognize and avoid the trap of comparison! [2 Corinthians 10:12] We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise tfh.org
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4. Cry out to God in your brokenness [Isaiah 57:15] The Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. tfh.org
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Small Group Questions 1. When was a time that you have seen someone "putting on or taking off a mask" when around specific people? What do you think caused that hypocrisy? 2. Have you ever tried to impress someone, at the expense of integrity (even a little bit)? If so, what did that look like? 3. How does having an accurate sense of your gifting and an accurate sense of your lack directly relate to your humility? What happens when your perceptions are inaccurate? Who, in your life, can help you get a right perspective of yourself? 4. Since "God opposes the proud, but favors the humble," why is serving a key to our integrity? How does giving up rights and privileges produce humility in us? 5. What does it take to pursue accountability and invite correction? Have your experiences in accountability positioned you well to be worked on by God? If not, or if not now, what changes need to be made? 6. How is the Word of God both a sword and a mirror? How do we avoid the comparison trap and keep our lives open to examination? 7. In the eyes of our Heavenly Father, what kind of prayers will you pray: emotional responses to a preconditioned atmosphere or a truly broken and contrite, heartfelt prayers? How do you approach God utterly desperate and aware of the rescue and redemption? tfh.org
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